A Misadventure With Kittens
by StripedHatter
Summary: [M!HawkexAnders] After a long day, Hawke just wants some peace. What he gets instead is a box of kittens.


Hawke nearly collapsed upon finally entering his home. Emotionally and physically exhausted from that day's mission, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.  
>"Is that you, son?" Leandra called.<br>"Yes, Mother; it's just me."  
>"I've started dinner. It's a little late, but I was waiting for you to get home. It's on the fire. I'll let you know when it's ready."<br>"Alright," Hawke said dumbly, and his mother didn't reply this time. He sighed and let the door close behind him before going upstairs and changing into his finery. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he rubbed his eyes. Poor Ser Thrask- much as Hawke disliked templars, he wished no man the pain of losing a daughter to his own weakness. He sighed heavily, and needing a deep breath returned to his window, pulling it open. Rain dripped from the heavy clouds pressing close to Hightown, and a cold wind sweeping through reminded him strongly of Fereldan. Something in his heart panged, missing home greatly after his long day. Never had things been so complex back there, in their simple life in Lothering.  
><em>Mew!<em>  
>The sudden noise caught Hawke's attention and his gaze snapped to the small back alley behind the estate. A few crates sat alone, mostly broken and some with rotting wood. The mew came again, followed by a couple of others. He leaned out of the window, peering down as the rain soaked his thick hair, yet couldn't see anything. But the mews resumed, and he knew he couldn't leave it at this.<br>Leaving his room, he took the stairs two-at-a-time and ignored Leandra's questioning. He moved outside through the back exit in the kitchen, ending up outside. He followed the sound of the mewling until he reached a broken-sided crate, falling apart at the seams and soon to cave in. He dropped to his knees and looked in through the hole in the side. He narrowed his eyes at movement, and as his eyes focused to the darkness he spotted the outline of two pairs of pointed ears and diamond-pupilled eyes staring at him from the darkness.  
>"Come here, kitties," he murmured softly. "It's okay." The closer one- clearly the braver of the two- padded closer in short, quick steps on stocky little legs. "Where's your mother?" Hawke asked. "Or your father?"<br>The braver kitten stopped and glanced over its shoulder, as if seeking the other. It mewed loudly, and then the braver continued forward to where Hawke now sat cross-legged in the rain before the crate. It crawled out, stepping gingerly over the jagged wood, and he spotted a gray and black coat, dry from being in the crate. It didn't seem to mind the rain, and instead crawled- more stumbled than anything- onto his legs, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.  
>"Hey," Hawke chuckled lightly, smiling in wonder at the little thing. It mewed at him, and he smiled even more brightly at it. "Do you and your sibling want somewhere warm for the night, huh?"<br>"Meow," it replied. His heart warmed, and the other kitten managed to crawl out as well, and into his lap, and into his heart, just as fast. This one was a little orange and white kitten, and snuggled right into his lap.  
>"Just the two of you?" He whispered, and both kittens went off in a seemingly endless series of mews. When they finally stopped, there was another kitten meowing ceaselessly until a third kitten, this one black as ebony, came hurtling out of the crate, tripping over the wood but continuing on regardless, and promptly leapt onto Hawke's thigh and planted its little paws against its chest, blinking wide yellow eyes at him.<br>"Oh! Hello, there!"  
>In the commotion, the gray kitten had strolled to the door into the kitchen and began pawing at it and meowing. Hawke looked at his hands, and at the kittens, and back at his hands and back at the kittens again.<br>"I don't know how to get you all into the house- hang on," he muttered, and then searched the alley quickly. His eyes spotted a shallow crate with a criss-cross pattern around the sides, and snatched it, dreading the sopping wood. He looked down at his feet, where he had already soaked through his boots, and got an idea.  
>Yanking off his boots and socks, Hawke set down the black and orange kittens in a boot each, and then made a nest of the socks and set the gray kitten in it (who instantly returned to the side, pawing at it). The other two kittens had hooked their front legs over the entry to the boots and were meowing at him.<br>"Shh," he whispered, giving a silent laugh, "My mother doesn't like cats much!"  
>Standing, Hawke opened the door and then lifted the crate and walked in, watching the contents of the box to make sure none of the kittens were harmed. He closed the door with his foot, and then-<br>"HAWKE! What in the Maker's name-"  
>"Mother, please, you'll scare them!" He protested, carrying on past her before she could say more. She huffed, and then-<br>"By the way, didn't you say that apostate was coming over tonight?" Leandra reminded him as Hawke reached the bottom of the stairs.  
>"Yes, yes I did. Send him up when he gets here."<br>Hawke's heart quickened at the thought of seeing the mage again, but right now, the kittens were starting to squirm, and he still hadn't figured out how to feed them. He finally reached his room and closed the door, and then set down the crate at the end of the bed.  
>He sat down by his pillows, and then removed all three kittens from the box to entertain while waiting for Anders' arrival.<p>

~~~

Half an hour later, the rain had let up and Hawke was fed up.  
>The kittens had left his bed, clawed their way back up the sheets, urinated and more in the dark corners of his room, tried to drink out of the chamber pot, and explored the entirety of his chambers. He wanted nothing more than to give them to someone who was used to this kind of thing. He didn't regret bringing them in, of course- it was more that he knew he wasn't cut out for this sort of care.<br>At the sound of a growl, he'd had enough. "Oh, Maker! If you don't stop fighting with her, I will lock you in my trunk with only one breathing hole!"  
>"Meow!"<br>The two kittens stopped fighting and raced over. The orange and white one, which he had begun to call Peach, was already curled in his lap and immediately circled around, looking up at him in concern after his outburst. The little black one came over, and then was distracted by a gust of wind howling at the window. The gray one- the antagonizer in the two kittens' fight- dashed around behind him, purring against his back as it stepped by.  
>"OH, so now you're perfectly happy?" He groused, and the gray one was then distracted by his big toe, which had shifted in a subconscious display of his aggravation. He only noticed his door had opened when he looked up and saw Anders, leaning on the frame, and gazing at him with eyes glowing with something he couldn't recognize. It was like... Affection, extreme joy, and... Something deeper.<br>And at the knowledge his care of the little felines had given Anders so much joy, some of Hawkes' resentment let up.  
>...Until the gray one pounced on his toe, anyway. But hey, at least it made Anders chuckle.<p> 


End file.
